Mad Hatter Danbury CT NELSAP 3/31/2011

[skidmarks]

Call it my Lost City of Atlantis! I was in the neighborhood today having gone to a clinic at the Cannondale headquarters in nearby Bethel. I figured I'd check out the NELSAP lost area Mad Hatter and scope it out for a future ski. By doing some research I figured this lost area was off Mountainville Rd in Tarrywile Park. In fact the park's trail map http://tarrywile.com/files/Tarrywile_trail-map.pdf even lists a trail as "Old Ski Slope"
After hiking around for almost an hour I came up with nothing, no telltale signs that there as ever an area. It has just vanished..

http://www.nelsap.org/ct/madhatter.html

Perhaps the Mad Hatter Lodge???

 

[WoodCore]

You found it!!

 

[skidmarks]

You found it!!

No sign of the old tow. Not a pully on a tree.

 

[severine]

Sometimes, there just isn't all that much left, is there? Sad.

 

[bvibert]

Maybe the Mad Hatter took everything except the chimney with him when he closed up shop???

 

[skidmarks]

Maybe the Mad Hatter took everything except the chimney with him when he closed up shop???

Even the ice from the ice tray.....

 

[CHoyt]

Maybe the Mad Hatter took everything except the chimney with him when he closed up shop???

Actually some of the signs from the Mad Hatter are still in my fathers garage. My Grandfather (Harry Hoyt) ran the mad hatter.

 

[skidmarks]

Actually some of the signs from the Mad Hatter are still in my fathers garage. My Grandfather (Harry Hoyt) ran the mad hatter.

It would be cool if you took some pictures of the signs. The NELSAP site is a little light on info what else do you care to share??

 

[CHoyt]

It would be cool if you took some pictures of the signs. The NELSAP site is a little light on info what else do you care to share??

Unfortunately I live in California now and don't get back to CT very often. The remaining signs are just slope condition signs...like "Good", "Excellent", etc.. The only picture that I am aware of of the Mad Hatter was on the cover of the February 3, 1951 "New Yorker" magazine. Here is a link to the site. (http://archives.newyorker.com/?i=1951-02-03) I like the sign at the bottom of the slope "Ready to go with one inch of show"

I just spoke with my father and told him about the picture you took of the chimney.....He said that unfortunately....that wasn't from the mad hatter. He said that the warming hut had a metal chimney in the center of the building. He also said that when they closed down they had to remove the building and the chimney went with it.

 

[skidmarks]

"Ready to go with 1 inch of snow" They must have been skiing over grass.
Very cool stuff!! It must have been a big deal to get on the cover of the New Yorker.
Checking the contents doesn't look like we have any articles however.